Gossamer: I love my adventure AG! But what does it mean the water level was higher outside the ditch? Ancient Gamer: Dike. Artifical man made walls made of sand, sand bags and stuff like that to stop the water flom flooding the Netherlands Ancient Gamer: Meaning, if someone sabotage it, the water will come rushing in. Gossamer: Hmm, I have a hard time imagining how that would look. Ancient Gamer: When Mortimer's week has been explained, you will realize that the Baron and his like have constructed a network of such dikes, in case one of the dikes burst EchoMirage: or, sooner or later, it would break. but kudos to the Dutch engineers, to have a dike that holds 400 years Gossamer: Ok. EchoMirage: ah, they built more? wow Ancient Gamer: No, the dutch engineers kept making the dikes even after the war. They still do. Ancient Gamer: Let me google the dikes for you, Goss EchoMirage: ok, allow me to intone a song Gossamer: Please. EchoMirage: trust me, I'm an engineer, with epic skills and epic gear Gossamer: So I go right after Luc and Marc then. Ancient Gamer: [link] EchoMirage: trust me, I;m an engineer, I won't let any water near EchoMirage: trust me, I;m an engineer, my dike will hold 400 year! Ancient Gamer: [link] Ancient Gamer: [link] Gossamer: So the ocean is higher up than that lake? And higher up on the left side? Ancient Gamer: Yeah. The ocean water level is higher than the land level where you guys have crashlanded EchoMirage: oh my Gossamer: Ah ok. EchoMirage: let us translocate our behinds Gossamer: So is the water I found drinkable? Ancient Gamer: Salt water valadaar: Phil will attempt to cobble together a flak vest from scrap metal, leather and plastic. Unless something better presents itself. valadaar: All offense and little defence makes Phil a fragile boy Gossamer: In that case, I'd say our first move ought to be find water. Ancient Gamer: True. Lucky none of the fifteen bulles hit him. Statistically he should have been hit by 3 of them, for a statistical average of 16 points of damage. He should have been in a coma or something valadaar: We have a car with a reactor - we should be able to draw of power easily and make an electolysis based water purifer EchoMirage: Indeed yes Ancient Gamer: Science roll to come up with that idea valadaar: Though Phil would not think of that EchoMirage: I should spend points on science, if possible Ancient Gamer: You got 10 non-fate skill points to spend Gossamer: In the long term though, I dunno. I would wanna dig in, for now at least. We'll probably need to deal with that Baron unless we flee, and there's not much to return to. Ancient Gamer: Earth is big. Space is vast. The Moon is near. You can go adventuring and exploring, if you like. Gossamer: Does the Mary Sue have hyper driver or something? Ancient Gamer: No Gossamer: What about the Copernicus? Or was that a base? Ancient Gamer: Short range. She can travel to the moon, to space around earth and moon, and everywhere on earth Ancient Gamer: Copernicus is an orbital space station Gossamer: I would say that neither Kath or me has any desire to get revenge on the scientists. EchoMirage: well, I'd love to claim Copernicus one day, but currently that's not within our capacities EchoMirage: not for revenge, but because an intact station is of incredible value Gossamer: Well, it's more valuable to have stuff running down here. After all the reason they sent us down here was for supplies. Gossamer: But then again, maybe it wasn't.. Gossamer: The question is, if there was any truth to it. Otherwise, why else would they want this factory down here? Ancient Gamer: Remember copying these comments into the Orbital Station Copernicus One thread! Gossamer: Ok. Ancient Gamer: The week ends, and the story goes on EchoMirage: well, the scientists' management was everything else than wise valadaar: Get what the scientists want. Mess with Scientists. Survive. valadaar: Fixated on Scientists.. Grrr EchoMirage: my position is, find safer home with food and water, take out baron. EchoMirage: grab his stuff. valadaar: That falls in line with mine EchoMirage: we have a nuclear reactor, with his stuff we may even set up some nice civilization. valadaar: that counts as messing with scientists and gettting their stuff EchoMirage: count me in, then Gossamer: That sounds like a plan, we dig in, we take out the baron, get his stuff, and then we can worry about the scientists. valadaar: yeah Ancient Gamer: Alright! The course is clear, then! EchoMirage: I just think that setting up fortification in an area that can be flooded by blowing up a piece of any of 20 miles of distant dike sucks valadaar: agreed EchoMirage: I would relocate first Gossamer: But that would require us to get the Mary Sue back in the air. valadaar: how much below sea level are we? Ancient Gamer: The dikes are arranged in a grid like pattern, with dikes inside the dikes, in case of such an event. Unfortunately, you are in a dike bordering the ocean. Ancient Gamer: 4 meters EchoMirage: hence my point EchoMirage: we need to hack the Mary Sue, and repair her too EchoMirage: question: did you roll my science skill for hacking too? EchoMirage: because I have even a comp specialty Gossamer: Then the ones who have those skills ought to improve em and try those checks again. EchoMirage: I will put the 10 free points into computers (science) anyway Ancient Gamer: Wionna can repair her, given enough spare parts. You need water, food (Mortimer fixed those in the chat the other day... coming up in his post), spare parts, hacking Mary Sue, then besting the Baron and getting his stuff in the Bohr facility. EchoMirage: hm, l'Ancienne? Ancient Gamer: Okay. You will get another try at hacking the Mary Sue after we start up the game again tomorrow then. Ancient Gamer: Yes? valadaar: Water -some genius comes up with my idea. Food - fish? EchoMirage: shall I edit Becca in the char creation to reflect new skill level then? Gossamer: Kath is a genius but not in Science. Ancient Gamer: Yes. Excellent. Ancient Gamer: I love up to date char sheets Ancient Gamer: As you can see on Mary Sue's sheet. Constantly evolving. Ancient Gamer: Need to change the coffins to unoccupied!!!! Yikes! valadaar: Done so as well. Upgraded skills he's used. valadaar: The Mary sue would float if the hatches are all nicely closed, tight valadaar: right I meant Gossamer: Tight works too. Gossamer: Ancient Gamer: Yes. The Mary Sue is space-safe. She is most certainly waterproof. Ancient Gamer: She would probably rest on the ocean floor though. Too much heavy stuff inside.

Ancient Gamer: Whether she is dead or not depends on the actions of you guys. Gossamer: Do you mean dead as in doesn't communicate or dead as in, just can't fly? Ancient Gamer: the former Gossamer: I thought I prevented that? Gossamer: He sat alone, illuminated by the light of Mary Sue's computer screens. He had managed to disable the communications device early on, in case the scientists would try to order her to do something stupid. But restoring their control of her seemed to be more difficult. Gossamer: "Access restricted, operation illegal", her voice was husky, almost sensual as ever. Gossamer: "You have undone us, mr. Marion, and in the process undone yourselves. Mary Sue...", there was a loud bang, and the holographic device burst into separate pieces. Gossamer: So seemingly, she can still communicate with us. Ancient Gamer: Ah, yes. My bad. Forgot you saved the day!

Ah, how I have come to love that sense of accomplishment and victory that I get when I pull the wool over the eyes of a clever player character. What DM Triumphs have you had?

Some of mine:1. Finally killing an incredibly powerful, lucky, annoying player's character.2. Finally achieving a TPK (Total Party Kill)3. Finally achieving a TPK using only traps4. Finally working out how to make it so that d**n wizard doesn't steal the spotlight all the d**n time.